Putting the Drive and the Inside Flank Together
Driving: Putting it All Together
You've taught your dog to push stock away from you, and you've taught the inside flank on command. On their own, those are two separate skills. This is where they become one: a dog who can drive stock in a straight line, turn it, and hold the line you set — steering as they go. This course walks you through combining the pieces with real driving patterns, so you finally have a dog you can send with confidence. Built for handlers who've worked through Introduction to Driving and Teaching the Inside Flank.
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Where It All Comes Together
Driving and inside flanks were taught separately on purpose. Now that your dog understands each one, this course brings them together into real, usable control — the kind you need to move stock through a course, a gate, or a field.
From Two Skills to One
Your dog knows how to drive and how to flank. Here you blend them, so a flank becomes a course correction mid-drive instead of a whole new exercise — that's what steering really is.
Steer Without Losing the Drive
The tricky part is asking for an inside flank without your dog going to balance and fetching them back to you. You'll learn to layer the flank into the drive so your dog turns the stock and keeps driving.
Build a Line You Can Trust
A dog that holds a straight line and only turns when you ask is a dog you can send anywhere. We build that precision with patterns you can practice and repeat.
Fix It When It Falls Apart
When you combine skills, old habits resurface. You'll see the common breakdowns — and exactly how to get your dog back on the line — with green dogs working through the same problems you'll have.
What You'll Learn
A practical progression that turns two separate skills into a functional drive — taught with green dogs so you see the combination come together.
Blending the Flank Into the Drive
Asking for an inside flank in the middle of a drive so your dog changes direction and keeps pushing, instead of stopping or coming back to you.
Driving a Line and a Turn
Building clean, repeatable driving patterns — straight lines, corners, and changes of direction — so you can put stock exactly where you want it.
Handling the Breakdowns
Reading when your dog is about to lose the drive or the line, and the moves that put them back on track before things fall apart.
Video Demonstrations
Real demos of the combination coming together
Lifetime
Access — use it with every dog you bring up to driving
Next Step
Built for dogs who already drive on their own and take an inside flank
Why Putting It Together Is the Whole Point
Teaching the drive and the inside flank separately was never the goal — it was the setup. The goal is a dog who can take stock somewhere useful and keep it on line the whole way, turning when you ask without losing the push.
That's harder than it sounds, because the moment you ask for a flank mid-drive, a lot of dogs quit driving, spin back to fetch, or lose the stock entirely. If you don't know how to layer the two skills, you can undo months of good work.
This course shows you how to combine them cleanly, one pattern at a time, so the flank becomes a steering wheel instead of a stop sign. Get this right and you've got what every driving course has been building toward: a dog you can send, steer, and trust with stock.
Put It All Together
What Our Students Are Saying
Dawna and Megan have a gift for teaching the handler as much as the dog. Their methods are clear, their timing is honest, and they helped me become a real handler instead of just someone holding a stick.
Kim W.
The progressive approach in these classes has rapidly improved my dogs and my own abilities to work stock. We've had real success at trials, and I credit the step-by-step foundation these courses gave us.
Michelle F.
Dawna and Megan have the unique ability to train the human as well as the dog. They honor your dog's instincts and acknowledge your relationship with your dog. Seeing the joy in a dog working stock is priceless.
Brenda H.
What's Included
Lifetime Access
Use this course with every dog you bring up to driving. Come back to it whenever you're ready to put the pieces together. Your enrollment never expires.
Video Feedback
Post your own driving videos for feedback and ask questions directly on the lessons as you work through the course at your own pace.
Private Community
Access our private student community where you can connect with other handlers, share progress, and get support from Dawna and Megan along the way.
Get All Three Driving Courses and Save
Driving: Putting it All Together is one of three courses in The Essential Skills for Driving bundle. Together with Introduction to Driving and Teaching the Inside Flank, you get the complete path — teach the drive and the inside flank as separate skills, then put the two together so you can drive and steer anywhere.
Buy all three individually: $327. Get the bundle: $275 — save $52.
View the Bundle & SaveReady to Drive and Steer With Confidence?
Bring the drive and the inside flank together into real, usable control — with driving patterns and green-dog demos that show you exactly how the pieces fit.
Start once your dog can drive on its own and take an inside flank.
Put It All Together